8 Biggest Hot Air Balloon Festivals Around the World
Here are the biggest hot air balloon festivals around the world so if you’re a fan of the basket in the sky, you know where and when to plan your next holiday.
Do you think you ever grow out of getting excited whenever you see a hot air balloon?
There’s just something about seeing a balloon, majestically travelling across the sky, trusting the weather and conditions to get there safely. And hot air balloon festivals show that off in multiple beauty.
They’re so fun to see and if you’re lucky enough to have been on a ride, you’ll know they’re incredibly fun to experience too. Floating thousands of meters above ground, you really feel like you’re straight out of a Disney movie (Up) and it makes for such a magical experience.
What’s even more magical is seeing not one balloon but hundreds. And every year people have that same idea and host hot air balloon festivals across the globe to celebrate the art of hot air balloon riding that’s been going strong since 1783.
Pulling in the craziest designs along with their trusty pilots and the general public for a mutual appreciation situation, these are just some of the best international balloon festivals around the world for flying aficionados.
Biggest Hot Air Balloon Festivals Around the World
If you’re looking for the most impressive balloon displays, then add a few of these brilliant balloon festivals to your calendar.
1. Bristol International Balloon Fiesta
Keeping it nice and local for you, the Bristol Balloon Fiesta is an annual balloon bash kicking off at the start of August for four days. Going strong since 1979, the event is now known as the biggest hot air balloon festival in Europe.
Over 130 balloons turn up to blow up and even more people stop by to see the morning rises, afternoon lifts and night glows. Stealing a little bit of the attention, the RAF’s Red Arrows and the EXIT parachute team also squeeze in a sky performance just to keep things interesting.
And best of all, the entire event is free. Although, they do charge a premium for parking close by (totally worth it).
2. Albuquerque Balloon Festival
And I thought Bristol Balloon Festival was big…
Starting off with just 13 balloons in 1972, this 9 day-long October event now pulls in 550 balloons. That makes Albuquerque, New Mexico, home to the biggest hot air balloon festival in the world. It’s also one of October’s most important festivals.
While you can jump in a basket any day of the week, take part in the photo contest or listen to live music, Mass Ascension days are the best ones to drop by. These are the mornings all balloons and their crews gather just before sunrise so that as the sun comes up, so do they.
Then there’s the Special Shape Rodeo at this hot air balloon festival, which showcases all the inventive balloon shapes, the various competitions and the balloon glows where balloons stay tethered but their fires are lit at night for a really cool effect.
Tickets for this one cost just $10.